The problems I'm talking about are that almost everything electrical goes through the BCM. You cannot just pull the stock radio out and replace it with another stock unit, the new one needs to be matched to the BCM. You will lose all of your "chimes", turn signal,open door, key in ignition if you don't add a separate module to the after market setup.

How does your A/C compressor know that the fan is on? There is an interlock somewhere in the wiring. Normally the A/C compressor will not run unless the blower is on. What about the coolant fan, it is supposed to run when the A/C compressor runs?

Just some thoughts, maybe you have addressed them already.

 

Not worried about the chimes - as it turns out a shot of contact cleaner fixed the radio issues.

the compressor comes on as does the cooling (engine) fan - apparently that's a different circuit than the blower (HVAC) fan. I'm still sorting that circuit - I've bypassed and made bodged it to work but I prefer stock, not bodged ("bodged" is a polite word for performing your own engineering work used by the Brits who speak an odd variation on English, which is really a mash-up of Celtic, German and a couple of other languages).

All in all the electrical system on this car reminds me of a mid 1980's Saab - the '85 SPG's were notorious for having insulation that was self destructive (I owned and re-wired one). Perhaps it's that similarity to a Saab that makes the HHR appeal to me ...

Cheers

Steve

 

For all intents and purposes the HHR and Cobalt ARE Saabs left over from the gutting.

 

To quote Elwood in "The Blues Brothers" .... "yep".